Works Update
All works are undertaken by Uckfield Model Railway Club members. The current major projects we are working on are itemised below:
Improve Glyndebourne Wood Station access and drainage
Continue re-sleepering of main circuit to bring all sleepers up to latest standard
Renovate Bentley Central pointwork and mechanisms
Renovate remaining original signals and change to LED illumination
Renovate all carriages, replacing bearings etc where appropriate.
Relay Bentley Central Platform slabs
Strip & Repaint wooden surfaces at Bentley Central
25 June 2009 - Bentley Central Signal Box has now been stripped of paint and made good on 2 sides. Meanwhile, track sleeper replacements are progressing well with a further 4 panels relaid today with the objective of completing the Glyndebourne Wood cutting before 18th July.
7 June 2009 - All of the above major projects are making gradual progress. A new task has also been added to the above list, today saw the completion of the first stage of a long overdue task, the repainting of all timber work. The carriage sheds at Horstead Yard are now respendant in bright green
14 May 2009 - Glyndebourne Wood bay platform has now been relaid, as has the main line north of the level crossing. Ground works in Glyndebourne Wood entrance (see Otober 2008 entry below) are also nearing completion. The new tram unit is now in regular use and paint maintenance is progressing well.
10 May 2009 - The Bay platform at Glyndebourne wood is now nearly ready to receive trains again, the signalling ductwork previously under the track here has now been removed and drainage duct installed. All new ballast has been laid all that's needed now is to return the track panels.
11 Apr 2009 - Track re-laying is progressing well, the steaming bays have today been cleared and levelled which should allow the bays to be extended, offering new opportunities for maintenance. This weekend also saw the first public passenger runs with our new tram unit as documented on the News page. Meanwhile, Glyndebourne Wood station is now back open although works to finalise the area are still underway.
24 Mar 2009 - Track re-laying has now almost reached the already completed inner loop with just 7 panels to go, so should be completed before easter. Meanwhile the access to Glyndebourne Wood station from the woods is progressing well with the land profiling now nearing completion. Finally, we have taken delivery of two more refurbished LED signal heads this week leaving just 3 to complete.
12 Mar 2009 - Track re-laying is progressing well. almost all of the main circuit north of the level crossing has now been relaid as can be seen from the below photo.
8 Feb 2009 - Bentley Central Platform B (non-passenger) has now been commissioned with a slabbed area to facilitate testing of locos and rolling stock without interrupting passenger flow. You can also see in the foreground of the below photos the first part of our new rainwater storage facility which we hope to utilise in efforts to extend the life of loco boilers in an environmentally friendly manner - no mains water required. Preliminary water quality testing has indicated a dramatic reduction in TDS (total dissolved solids) compared to tap water.
16 Jan 2009 - The cold weather has delayed works somewhat (not helped by the resultant dual burst pipes either).
We have however taken delivery of a sizeable no. sleepers and track ballast recently which kept the team warm as can be seen from the photos below.
19 Oct 2008 - The first stage of the Glyndebourne Wood access and drainage works have been completed with the moving of around 60 tons of earth to raise the height and drainage of the Woodland Walk adjacent to Glyndebourne Wood station and also replant of a short length of hedge as can be seen in the below photos.
Autumn 2008
We decided that before the winter sets in we would start work on some track refurbishment works, we have been gradually replacing sleepers and track bed working out from Bentley Central during the summer but a concerted effort was needed. The two below photos were taken less than 24 hours apart and the last train had rolled just over an hour before the first photo (left) was taken - not bad work for a team of 3 people. Only the other 3/4's of the railway to do now guys!
For details of previous engineering works, please see our archive.
